Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Chloe Bennet on Skye's History and Romance

For viewers who are complaining that Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been offering up more questions than answers, Tuesday’s episode will at least start unraveling the mystery behind S.H.I.E.L.D.’s newest team member, Skye (Chloe Bennet).

The mysterious “hacktivist” joined Coulson’s (Clark Gregg) team in the series premiere, though we haven’t learned much about her since. Based on the promos, it seems Skye’s secret of working with The Rising Tide to spy on S.H.I.E.L.D. will soon come out. What is Skye really after? TVGuide.com caught up with Bennet to find out:

We don’t know too much about who Skye is since she’s living this double life.Chloe Bennet: She is. What can I tell you that won’t get me fired from Marvel? I think she’s troubled. Her past is almost as much of an unknown to her as it is to everyone watching. Her whole struggle is trying to find out what happened to her. She grew up in an orphanage. She was raised in several different homes. She doesn’t really know who her parents are. That’s a big thing. She doesn’t know where she’s from. Anyone who is in that situation would want to know what’s going on there.

The pilot seemed to hint that she had erased her own identity before. Do you even know her real name?Bennet: I don’t. It’s interesting because you want to bring as much depth to the scene as you can, but it’s a challenge doing so when you really don’t know much about it. It also brings something new to the table and that’s what makes it a little different. It’s something that feels normal at this point because none of us really know. We’re all in the same boat. It makes for some frustration at times, but it also keeps you on your toes.

The promos seem to indicate that the team will learn that Skye is a traitor. What can you tell us about Tuesday’s episode?Bennet: It had me worried when I read the script. This episode is actually one of my favorites. You do find out a lot about Skye and that’s exciting. It was exciting for me to read. We also get to go to Asia. There may even be some romance. Skye’s history is revealed a lot in this next episode, so for people who are wondering, it’s definitely time for them to tune in.

What are Skye’s motivations in working with Rising Tide and S.H.I.E.L.D.?Bennet: What I know for sure about Skye’s intentions is that she has a really good heart and she’s never out to put any harm on anyone and she’s not a bad person at all, in my mind. That’s kept up through the episodes we’re shooting and we’re on Episode 9. She has really good intentions and she just wants the truth about everything. Like most hackers, she thinks that the public should know the truth. But through her time with S.H.I.E.L.D., she’s realizing like when you’re a kid and your parents don’t tell you stuff because you can’t handle it, maybe that’s the best. She’s learning a lot. Her intentions are always very pure, but then she has this side of her that’s fiery. She lived on her own for quite some time. She’s out to find out some information about herself. Like anyone who has a lifelong goal, they’re going to stick to it. She’s very driven.

Do you think that’s why Coulson ultimately chose her for the team?Bennet: I totally think so. Everyone who goes through training at S.H.I.E.L.D., there are certain things they all have having been raised through that strict environment of going through schooling at S.H.I.E.L.D., but she has none of that. There are pros and cons to that. That’s why she’s always getting in trouble and why she’s always accidentally saving the day because she’s able to think outside the box.

Skye and Coulson are very similar since they are both enthusiasts.Bennet: That’s a very good way to put it. One of my favorite relationships on the show is that of Coulson and Skye. You see it a lot more in Episode 4 and it’s growing into a really, really beautiful, [paternal] relationship and it’s something that I don’t think Coulson has ever had and Skye has never had, and it’s surprising to them both. He can see eye-to-eye on things with her that most people can’t because he has that support for her that she finds surprising because she’s never had that before. It’ll be nice to see that grow throughout the season. Some of my favorite scenes are with Clark. It’s like that in real life. He’s been a huge mentor for me on the show because he’s gone through all this before and I’m so green.

There’s clearly a spark between Ward (Brett Dalton) and Skye. Will we see some forward movement?Bennet: You’ll have to watch. You’ll be surprised as to what I’m talking about on Tuesday. It’ll definitely cater to ABC’s audience of women who want to see that kind of thing.

Throughout the early episodes, viewers have been complaining about the lack of character and team development. Will those aspects be explored soon?Bennet: Definitely. It’s funny that people say that. Sometimes I just want to say, “Have patience!” We have a lot to set up in this universe. There’s a lot of complicated topics that we have to touch base on. Why is Coulson still alive? How is Coulson alive? Is it Coulson? We’re only on the fourth episode and this is the first season. Hopefully we go on for many seasons to come and we can develop characters in a nice, beautiful way. There’s definitely a lot of character development. Even watching the pilot, it was funny to see that because it’s so great to see how different our characters are now and how much they’ve developed since then. We all spend time on a plane together, so you’re developing friendships with other people. You’ll start to see Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) not just hang out with each other, Simmons and Skye’s relationship develop, and Skye and Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen). We have some smart people running our show, so I think the audience will be pleased, for sure by what happens in these next coming episodes.

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